News

Category

Star Trek Las Vegas Wraps With Shatner & Klingons

The sun rose and set on Sunday for 2014's Creation Entertainment Official Star Trek Convention. The fourth and final day of the annual Trek fan pilgrimage started with Jordan Hoffman leading one last One Trek Mind Live debate. Today's topic was Top Star Trek Jerks. There were plenty of options to choose from and the conversation was fierce, with much arguing over the distinction between evil and a jerk. In the end, Q topped Jellico.

Panel after panel followed Hoffman in the DeForest Kelley Theatre, including "To Boldly Go," led by John Marmie of NASA. David Gerrold was next, and he discussed, in typically straightforward fashion, what not to do when writing or selling a script. StarTrek.com presented the subsequent panel, "New Moon," with Professor David Williams commenting on new insights about the moon resulting from recent NASA and international missions. Roger Lay Jr then hosted a conversation with veteran Trek director Paul Lynch, who also directed the original Prom Night.

In the Roddenberry Theatre, Walter Koenig and Harlan Ellison arrived dancing to Back in the U.S.S.R. They live just a couple of miles from each other and have been dear friends for five decades, which was easy to see as they interacted.

Ellison talked about writing and writers, noting that "Everybody has a sense of humor. Few people have wit." Koenig was asked about another friend, Star Trek's Sarek, Mark Lenard, with whom he performed in several stage shows over many years. "Mark was brilliant," Koenig said. "He had an inner strength you just can't fake. Leonard (Nimoy) is the same. A thousand people could play Spock, but there's only one person who was Spock, and that was Leonard."

Next, fans were treated to the trio of Casey Biggs, Vaughn Armstrong and Steve Rankin, all veteran Trek guests and members of the Enterprise Blues Band. Armstrong told the audience he'd auditioned for Riker three times.

Rankin was just in the film Jersey Boys. And Biggs recounted sitting in the DS9 makeup trailer and perusing an upcoming script. Well, he was there with the woman playing Ziyal, whom Damar would kill. He said out loud that she dies and the actress ran out of the trailer, upset. The crowd booed, prompting Biggs to argue, "Come on, better her than me!" They finished by joining together for a 'taste' of their Enterprise Blues Band.

The team behind the upcoming video game Star Trek Timelines then introduced the game to the audience. Disruptor Beam CEO Jon Radoff promised the game would be "the most accessible, immersive game to date," and available in all platforms, with fans able to play with their favorite characters from every Trek series and the first 10 films.

"The Enterprise will be upgradable and customizable," noted lead designer Tim Crosby, who added that, "Different captains will have different opinions about the Prime Directive... and Janeway may not agree with something Scotty wants to do." Star Trek Timelines will be ready sometime in 2015.

Next, William Shatner hobbled out on to the stage on a single crutch. Settling into a director's chair, he joked, "This is the result of a young horse and an old rider."

Asked by a fan about Ricardo Montalban, Shatner shared a long story about how and why Montalban was so broad chested, and he cracked that "Montalban entered a room preceded by his pectoral muscles." He then spoke of flipping channels the night before on his TV at the hotel and coming across Star Trek V, which he, of course, directed. He shared a lengthy anecdote about Trek V, summing it up by saying he thought, "'That's not bad.' I just wish Leonard Nimoy had directed it and that I'd directed Star Trek IV." Shatner departed to a standing ovation.

Up next were Robert O'Reilly and J.G. Hertzler in costume and makeup as Gowron and Martok. The two put on a hell of a show, singing Klingon songs, bringing Klingon-costumed fans from the audience on to the stage, and mercilessly teasing each other. One fan asked what films they'd like to star in as Gowron and Martok. They mentioned several possibilities, including The Godfather. But you really haven't lived until you've heard O'Reilly as Gowron sing, "The hills are alive with the sound of... Klingon."

The afternoon continued with a rare appearance by DS9's Kai Opaka, Camille Saviola, who discussed her short but memorable stint on the show and her career as a singer and actress. She was followed by a session with guest stars Tiny Ron, Jim Metzler and Eric Pierpoint.

But it wasn't completely over, as many fans capped their weekend by joining the cosplay fun and attending the Star Trek Rat Pack concert featuring Max Grodenchik, Vaughn Armstrong, Jeffrey Combs and Casey Biggs performing amusing Trek-themed songs written by Grodenchik. As a special surprise, James Darren joined the group, performing "Come Fly with Me."